


Red String

by PeachiePeony



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Angst, Boss/Employee Relationship, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Fluff, Kylo Ren is Not Nice, Rey Needs A Hug, Romance, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-08
Updated: 2018-01-15
Packaged: 2019-03-01 14:58:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13297308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PeachiePeony/pseuds/PeachiePeony
Summary: With graduation less than a year away Rey Kenobi is closer than ever to realizing her dream of working for Resistance Inc. under their esteemed president Leia Organa. However, she decides to wait until she has acquired the experience she needs to elevate her chances of securing a position with Resistance using her own skills and efforts. Instead, Rey decides to apply for an assistant position at First Order Investments. Surely having this experience on her resume will allow her to work anywhere? Even at Resistance? She tells herself. Would working at FO be manageable like she hopes or will she find herself thrust into something entirely unexpected?





	1. Chapter 1

It was 6:30 in the evening when Rey walked into the Italian restaurant Poe spoke about. Good lord she thought to herself as she stepped through the tall glass doors at the entrance of the restaurant. Poe has some refined tastes she thought as she made her way towards the hostess stand. “Hello, welcome to La Fontainne” the woman behind the podium said in a friendly tone.

“Hi, I'm meeting some friends, the reservation was made under Dameron” Rey responded in a small voice. She felt a little out of place, luckily, she had enough time to change into something that seemed more appropriate rather than her frumpy work clothes she wore earlier that day. Her light brown hair settled in waves on her shoulders, her face had been slightly painted with makeup which was an unusual considering she never really wore makeup. Her form-fitting cream dress coupled with a pair of black heels her friend Jessika gave her suited the grandeur of the restaurant. Rey followed the hostess over to where Finn and Poe sat, both looked elated to see her when she arrived.

“Rey! You look so cute tonight!” Poe squealed as he hugged Rey tightly.

“Poe can’t breathe, too tight” Rey whispered. “Shoot, sorry” Poe released her from his iron grip. Rey settled in her seat giggling softly, “no worries Poe I was only kidding” Rey grinned

“Anyway, what’s up with the fancy place? Did something big happen?” Rey curiously asked both men sitting in front of her. Poe and Finn looked at each other a dumbfounded by her question, Finn spoke first “Rey, did you forget?” Rey had a confused look on her face “what do you mean?” Rey asked slightly puzzled.  
Finn spoke again “Peanut it’s your birthday?” Poe laughed in amusement while Finn stared at Rey slightly concerned. Rey was completely surprised when she realized that Finn was absolutely correct, “oohh! Oh my gosh!? I didn’t realize, I was so caught up in work that it just went over my head.”

Poe stopped laughing and frowned a little “Rey, if you are having trouble at Plutt’s just say the word and I would be more than happy to help you get a job with Resistance. I’m sure Leia would be more than happy to have you.” Poe spoke in a serious tone, concerned of his friend’s wellbeing. Finn too nodded in agreement with what Poe had to say. 

Rey looked at both her friends a small smile surfaced, “I appreciate that Poe, really, I do but you know I want to put myself out there with my own efforts. However, I will keep that offer in mind. But while we’re here let’s focus on celebrating alright?” she continued smiling, trying hard to avoid the subject of work. Finn sighed “alright we’ll do as you say birthday girl, but you have to promise to enjoy the evening.” he looked right at Rey, Poe then chimed in “really though take what I said into consideration, promise Rey?”

“Yes, I will, I promise.” Rey smiled back at the two “now let’s take a look at these menus, the birthday girl is starving.” She gleamed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Casually drops second chapter, and walks away* 
> 
> The story is still progressing slowly to be honest, but I promise to bring some more mature content ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) as soon as I get the ball rolling. Please share your thoughts and thanks so much for reading. Enjoy!

It was a Monday morning and Rey wanted nothing more than to sleep in and forget about her final exams that week. Summer break was just a few days away and she desperately wanted to catch up on some sleep before she continued her studying. Unfortunately for her, Rey was a creature of habit and she did not remind herself to unplug the alarm clock the night before. So instead of sleeping in Rey was bombarded with loud beeps from the small device. She sluggishly she lifted her arm from under the warm covers feeling around for the off switch that belonged to the noisy thing on her nightstand. After many unsuccessful attempts to shut off the screeching pain in the ass, Rey popped her head out from under the covers determined to end the noise once and for all. She quickly found the switch and flipped it in the opposite direction. Seconds later her room was filled with silence. Just a few more minutes, Rey sighed as she whipped the covers over her head. She was seconds away from falling back asleep when her roommate burst through her bedroom door. His cheerful sing-song voice filled the space as he stepped in.

“Morning sunshine! Time to wake up and enjoy this glorious day!” Finn stepped closer to her bed and tugged the covers off her body. 

“Nooo…it’s too early Finn” Rey groaned as she stretched her arms out begging Finn to return her sheets but when he refused to give into her pleas she sat up in her bed and stared at him. One hand rested on his hip while the other held her bedspread. A goofy grin surfaced on his face, he looked a bit peppier than usual. He’s way too easy to read, clearly, the date went well. Rey thought as she hopped off the bed. 

“You sound lively this morning, does this mean that you and Rose are finally official?” Rey asked as she rubbed her exhausted eyes.  
Finn turned his head away bashfully before he happily answered her question “Yes we are!” Rey was now wide awake, she jumped into Finn’s arms crushing her friend in her excitement. 

“Fucking finally!!” Rey squealed; Finn gleefully pecked the side of her cheek and hugged her back. He had been crushing on Rose Tico, a teaching assistant from their previous psychology class at their university since their first year of college. After almost two years of friendship between the pair and much meddling on Rey and Poe's part (attempting to hook them up), the two had finally become an official couple. She was delighted to hear that her and Poe’s ship was sailing. 

“Anyway!” Finn pulled himself away from Rey and clapped his hands together “we should get going or else we’ll be late for our last day of lecture” He looked over at Rey. She turned her head to look at the time on her clock, 6:30 am. She sighed heavily the excitement she had felt seconds ago slowly dwindled when she realized that Finn wasn't going to let her skip class. "I’ll never forgive you for convincing me to take an 8:30 class with you.” She groaned folding her arms across her chest feigning annoyance. Finn gave her the most angelic smile he could muster “yes you will, you love me too much to stay mad at me,” he replied with confidence.  


She chuckled, she definitely couldn’t deny that “yeah yeah...now get out so I can change” she said as she gently shoved Finn out her door.

“Don’t take too long kay peanut? Otherwise, I’ll eat your share of the pop tarts” Finn yelled as she slowly shut the door behind him. “Alright, I’ll be down in a bit” she yelled back. Rey quickly slipped out of the oversized T-shirt she slept in and grabbed the pair of jeans and the long-sleeved blouse that she had left on top of her desk the night before. It didn’t take more than fifteen minutes to put herself together. Rey wasn't the type of girl that was interested in dressing herself up for school. In fact, she favored getting a few extra minutes of sleep over having to wake up early to doll herself up. She pulled her brown waves back into a messy bun as she rushed through the corridor of their shoebox apartment towards the small kitchen. She sat at the table with Finn; both ate quickly being conscious of the time. As soon as they had finished their fill of pop tarts and coffee both grabbed their bags piled into Rey’s ancient but "still functioning" car before they sped off towards campus. Finn turned up the radio and roped Rey into singing A Thousand Miles; she gave in eventually and sang along with him. Both sang terribly but it was an entertaining way to pass the time. 

_________

“Oh thank god! we found a good spot near campus” Rey commented as she locked her car door. Must be a good omen she thought. 

“I know, good thing I suggested that we take a morning class." Finn said sarcastically. "You’re welcome” he smirked. She lightly punched Finn’s arm, “Oh shut up,” both laughed as they stepped onto the sidewalk that would lead them towards the campus. 

“Gooood morning!” a deep voice greeted them from behind. Rey jumped a bit startled as a man wedged himself between her and Finn. His arm fell on her shoulder and the other landed on Finn's. “Oh my god, Poe you scared the crap out of me!” Rey yelped a bit startled by his presence. 

“What, I am offended! How could you not identify the sound of my beautiful voice?” Poe pretended to sound hurt by her comment. “Have some mercy Poe, it’s way too early in the morning.” Rey pleaded. Poe chuckled, and Finn threw his head back and laughed as the three walked through the quad of their school. “Sounds like someone could use some more coffee” Poe chimed, “god yes” Rey groaned. “I have no idea how the hell you and Finn can be so perky this early in the morning.” 

“And I’ll never know why you stay up so late at night when you should be asleep peanut,” Finn scolded her like a parent would to a child. 

“Finn you know that I'm practically nocturnal” Rey teased, Poe chuckled, and Finn rolled his eyes. 

“Oh yeah, I almost forgot” Finn exclaimed as he turned his head towards Rey and Poe “Rose and I wanted to know if the two of you wanted to join us for dinner after school today?” Rey put her finger to her lips and pondered for a moment, “hmm…I dunno Finn. We wouldn't want to be third wheeling you guys.” Rey nudged Poe’s side with her elbow trying to get his attention. “Ouch, what was that for?” Poe stopped walking and removed his arm from her shoulder to rub his side. She continued standing next to him looking at Poe with her eyebrows raised hoping he would have taken the hint. Instead, Poe stared at her puzzled by the expressions she made when he couldn't connect the dots. Impatient, Rey eagerly tugged on his arm forcing him to lean down so she could whisper something in his ear. Poe’s eyes widened his mouth dropped open a bit when he heard the news from her. 

“What! Finn, you’re going out with Rose now, since when!?” Poe removed his remaining arm from Finn’s shoulder. "Since last night," Finn whispered attempting to avoid drawing the attention of the other students surrounding them. “Whhaaat!! And you didn’t tell me?!” Poe cried as he moved to stand in front of Finn. “I’m sorry, I was going to tell you later today,” Finn replied frantically, appearing sincerely apologetic for leaving Poe out of the loop.

“Fucking Finally!!” Poe yelled as he latched himself onto Finn, holding him in his arms ignoring the whistles he heard from the students passing by. Rey couldn't help but laugh. “This is so mortifying” Finn complained as he reddened with embarrassment. 

“Dude, she’s such an awesome girl it's about time you two started dating," Poe released Finn from his grasp after a few seconds then asked enthusiastically,"okay, so I need to know who asked first! Please tell me it was you otherwise I owe Jess twenty bucks.” 

“It was actually Rose who asked me, so you owe Jess twenty.” Finn patted Poe's shoulder. “Damn!” Poe pushed his brown hair back looking defeated. “Well, as long as my bestie here is happy losing twenty bucks is nothing.” Once again Poe settled himself between Rey and Finn, draping his arms across their shoulders as they resumed their walk. “Anyway, about dinner, I would have liked to, but Jess and I have plans to see an apartment near Resistance. Rent is decent and its near campus and work so--” Rey and Finn halted, both turned their heads towards Poe, his eyes widened. Poe turned his head towards Finn then Rey to look at their shared expressions of shock. 

“What’s that look for?” He sounded bemused. Rey questioned him first, “you and Jess are planning on moving into an apartment.” She paused, “together.” A huge grin was plastered on her face as she spoke. “That is correct ma’am” Poe assured. Finn then asked, “so you’re planning on moving in with your girlfriend of six years. Does this mean that you may be popping a specific question sometime?” Poe smirked at Finn's inquiry, “perhaps within the next year or so.” 

"Oooh..." Finn nudged Poe’s arm and winked at his friend while Rey tried to suppress her bubbling laughter. Poe turned away burning with embarrassment when Rey and Finn began to simultaneously hum the tune of the wedding march.

“Woah guys I said perhaps, no need to get excited yet!” He gave them a wholehearted laugh. 

“Anyway!!" Poe quickly changed the subject to finish answering Finn's original question. "I appreciate the offer, maybe Jess and I can join you guys for dinner another time?” Poe responded with a brilliant smile.  


Finn patted Poe’s shoulder “sure, thing man.”

“Awesome! Sounds good. Well, as much as I love hanging out with the two of you I better get my ass to lab before my students complain to Dr. Kanata about me again.” Poe passed between the pair.“Don’t want to hear the importance of punctuality lecture from her a second time.” He shivered at the mere thought of it. 

“She’s pretty terrifying I wouldn’t want to get on her bad side” Finn glanced over to Poe, “nah she’s not that scary.” Poe added trying to sound confident. Rey whipped her phone out of her back pocket to check the time. She looked up at the screen then at Poe with an eyebrow raised and a smirk on her lips “well you better get moving, doesn’t your lab start at 8:15? It’s 8 already Poe.” 

“Oh shit! I’m gonna get the talk again.” Poe’s smile faded as soon as Rey broke the news to him. “Gotta run, I’ll see you two later?” He hastily questioned them. 

“Sure” Finn and Rey answered in unison “Cool sounds good. See you! bye!” Poe replied rapidly before darting across the campus quad running as if his life depended on it. Rey and Finn continued walking looking at the direction in which Por ran until he disappeared behind the health center. 

“Even the bravest of men is terrified of the mighty Dr. Kanata” Finn folded his arms over his chest as he shook his head. 

“You would be too if you if you had to work with her, I hear her eyes see straight into your soul” Rey teased. 

“That sounds absolutely terrifying” Finn exclaimed as they both continued to travel through the sea of students. He changed the subject,  
“So, Rey would you be up for dinner with us tonight?” Finn turned his head to look at her, eagerly awaiting her response. “I really would like to, but I should prepare for that job interview with First Order” Rey sighed giving him a sorry look for having to turn down his invitation. 

“Right! Your interview is this Friday.” Finn clapped his hands together, “no worries peanut, maybe after the interview? as a celebration for a job well done and for having finals over with” He added cheerfully. Rey couldn’t turn down that offer “Sure! sounds like a great idea.” She tells him. “Awesome! I’ll be sure to mention it to Rose and Poe!” Finn replied happily. 

He then went silent and his expression morphed into a serious look, “how do you feel about the big interview with FO?” He questioned her as they walked into the silent classroom having arrived earlier than the other students. “Honestly, I’m a bit nervous. FO could elevate my chances of getting into Resistance. But what will I do if I don’t get the job? Sure, I made the cut this time but what if I don't make it to the next round?” Rey sighed as she settled into one of the seats. She dropped her backpack on the floor beside her seat. She looked down at the top of the table dejected. Her friend occupied the seat next to her and gave her a pat on the back attempting to comfort her. A sympathetic expression surfaced on his face.

“Don’t be silly Rey! You totally got this” Finn said optimistically “you’re hardworking and got that can-do attitude FO would be stupid not pick you.” Rey looked up at Finn, she still felt anxious about the interview but tried her best to conceal her unease with a smile. 

However, Finn saw right through her weak smile. He sighed, “Rey you have an impressive resume and one hell of a reference list I bet Resistance would hire you on the spot if you applied. And if Resistance would take you I’m pretty sure First Order will too. Have some confidence peanut who wouldn't want to have someone like you on their team." He gives Rey a quick side hug. 

Finn is right, she thought to herself. She could do this. She had managed to take care of herself after her grandfather died when she was just eighteen, she paid her college tuition with scholarships she worked her ass off to earn, juggled long shifts at Plutt’s pawn shop along with her schooling and she was still alive to tell the tale. Finn’s solace flooded her with courage. She nodded her head in agreement. “Thanks Finn. I really appreciate the pep talk” she replied with a little more spirit.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well! after almost a week of translating my jumbled thoughts I finally have this chapter done. Finrose and anxious Rey! (she deserves a hug) for all. I do hope you enjoy this week's installment. 
> 
> Any feedback that ya'll have is greatly appreciated! Whether that be through kudos, comments, bookmarks, or simply reading along. Thank you all, enjoy!

At last, it’s finally over, Rey sighed in relief as she gingerly shut the door of her shared apartment. It was Thursday evening and her last exam ended over thirty minutes ago; feeling right as rain as soon as she had finished. The exhaustion hadn't hit her until she plopped her backpack on the floor next to the doorway. The previous weeks leading up to finals had her hitting the books day and night attempting to solidify and recall the information she had worked so hard in the semester to learn.

Anywhere Rey could get a solitary moment to crack open her textbooks she would. Rey was serious about nailing all her exams and there was no way in hell that she would let her grades plummet. She shuffled over to the couch, too worn out to make it to her room and flopped down onto the worn couch that sat in their living room. She was grateful to finally have a moment to relax her body and mind.

Although the spring semester had been the most challenging of her three years at Niima University Rey was delighted of only needing one more semester before she would be graduating with her Bachelor's in computer science. Her eyes momentarily shut as she lost herself in her thoughts, oblivious to the sound of the front door opening. 

“Peanut, you home?” Finn beamed as he shuffled through the door, “her bag's right here” another lively voice pointed out. The back of the sofa obscured their image of Rey.

Was that Rose? Rey questioned herself but was still too lazy to sit up and check, instead raised her arm up to wave at them, hoping to capture the attention of the couple.

“Over here” Rey added when they still didn't notice her. Rose was the first to respond. 

“Hey there girlie, you alright?” she asked when she noticed Rey lying on the sofa. Rey urged herself to sit up and make room for Rose. 

“Just tired, long week.” Rey chuckled as she stretched her arms out in front of her. 

“I feel you girl” Rose laughed seating herself in the available space Rey left for her. 

“How was the last final?” Finn joined the conversation as he set his things down on the floor beside them. 

“It wasn’t awful, still glad to have it out of the way” Rey replied, sinking further into the soft cushions of the sofa. Finn arranged himself a top of the sofas’ armrest behind Rose, his hand found hers, an endearing smile surfaced on her face as she happily accepted his hand. 

“How about you two?” Rey redirected Finn’s question towards them. The small woman seated beside Rey answered first.

“They were fine, not bad at all actually!” Rose replied, Finn pouted, “finals were an absolute nightmare” he groaned tucking Rose’s head under his chin. The small woman raised her arm to lightly pat Finn’s head; attempting to comfort to him.

“Well, it’s a good thing that you have them out of the way.” Rey snickered. “At long last..” Finn shut his eyes and let out a long sigh. 

“Let’s change the subject, anything but finals please” Finn pleaded. Rose giggled but she honored his request.

“Alright then…” Rose pondered for a moment, thinking of what to say. 

“So, Rey..” she immediately began, the enthusiasm in her tone increased as she spoke. “I heard from Finn that you were being interviewed for a position at First Order?” Her eyes filled with curiosity as she asked Rey.

“Yep, I am, tomorrow morning!” She answered with a broad smile.

“That’s awesome, how are you feeling about it?” she seemed inquisitive about the topic. 

Rey’s smile faltered. “I’m a little nervous actually.”

She looked down at her hands folded in her lap. Rey had tried to avoid thinking about the subject, dreading the interview she was having the next day. Although she had been ecstatic when the recruiter called her and asked Rey to attend a final interview with one of the executives she was slightly apprehensive about the whole thing.

While Rey had dutifully done more than her share of research along with rehearsing extensively for the day, her nerves didn't easily dissipate.

Rose rested her other hand on Rey’s shoulder, “don’t be! You’ll do great!” She gave Rey a reassuring smile. 

“I second that!” Finn added with a huge grin on his face. She looked up at them both, their smiles were catching, she found herself mimicking their expressions.

“Thanks, you two” Their words of encouragement filled her with a boost of confidence. I must get this job, she told herself as a spring of determination supplied her with another motive to triumph tomorrow.

 

______

 

She ran her hands down the sides of her thighs, desperate to wipe the sweat off her palms. She was anxious, again. Rey took a meditating breath to restrain herself from fidgeting in her seat. Four candidates, now five including herself were present by the time she arrived in the reception area of the 48th floor. She glanced over at the other individuals seated beside her, three men a woman and herself. The other four candidates appeared impeccable, prim polished and professional in appearance and behavior.

She felt a pang of unease, they all suited the image of an ideal First Order employee. Rey’s doubts began to cloud her thoughts and eat away at her confidence. She wondered how she even managed to make it this far. Why had they even considered her for this position, to begin with? She pondered as she glanced over at the other candidates again.

All of them sat quietly, focusing their attention on their notes as they patiently waited to be called in. Rey refrained from speaking to any of them, feeling too intimidated to strike up a conversation with the other applicants.

Instead, she directed her attention to the reception area to take her mind off her imminent interview. The upper level was incredible décor and construction wise. Everything was sleek and modern but that also made the place appear oddly cold. It didn’t seem like the type of office where employees would greet each other familiarly; instead, it appeared like employees didn’t even regard each other’s existence.

Was it like this on the other floors? Rey wondered or was she being too critical. 

“Mr. Ashton” A woman's voice suddenly asserted.

Intrigued, Rey looked towards the direction of the voice. There, near the sitting area stood an incredibly tall woman in a white suit with a clipboard in hand.

“Mr. Hux will see you now,” her English accent added coldly. The gentleman two seats over rose from his chair, he confidently strode towards the blonde. 

Rey watched the man wait for the woman to scan the badge she had attached to the waistband of her white dress pants. A beep followed as soon as it validated her credentials. The blonde effortlessly pushed open the door and motioned for the man to behind her to enter. He followed her instructions and both vanished as soon as the door clicked shut. 

Only four left to go, she thought. Eagerness built up inside Rey, she hoped she would be the next person to walk through that door, but at the same time, she prayed that she would be the last person to be called in. 

Her eyes flicked down to her resume sitting on her lap. One more time, she told herself as she glanced at her list of accomplishments, previous jobs and internships she’s held. The portion in regards to her skill set had been brief but she knew how she would highlight them when asked.

She continued passing the time solidifying her responses to possible questions the executive might throw at her and silently looking over some notes she had scribbled down for herself the previous night. She was ready, more than ready. Rey had prepared for this weeks in advance. Regardless of how anxious she felt now, Rey knew she could handle this. Her friends believed in her too so she needed to trust herself as well. The thought of her friends brought a smile to her face.

I can do this, I can do this, I can do this Rey chanted in her head as she craned forward to look at the clock that hung above the First Order logo behind the receptionist's desk. 

Bright red digital numbers displayed the current time,  **9:30 am.** Right at that moment, the door that the first candidate walked through earlier suddenly opened. The blonde woman exited first, followed by Mr. Ashton. Both individuals silently made their way towards the lifts that were situated on the wall behind the reception area.

The tall woman waited in front of the elevators until the next available one opened its doors. Mr. Ashton stepped in without any hesitation, the blonde turned away only when the metal door obscured the man inside the cabin. 

Rey's heart pounded as the clicks of the tall woman's heels against the marble floors grew closer to the reception area. 

Rey folded her hands in her lap anxiously awaiting to hear who would be the next individual to follow. 

The blonde briefly looked down at her clipboard before calling, “Miss Kenobi” her voice reverberated in Rey's ears as the woman brushed past the other candidates. 

OH SHIT! Rey jolted in her seat realizing she had been called. 

“Y-yes!” She finally answered the woman, stammering in disbelief. 

“Please follow me.” The woman replied as she urged Rey to follow.

Rey immediately shut the folder in her lap, she felt her stomach drop as she rose from her seat to follow the woman. The tall blonde ushered her through the exact door she had seen Mr. Ashton walkthrough earlier. She said nothing more as she led Rey down the corridor. The clacks of her heels upon the marble floor fell into sync with the furious clicking of computer keys, the ringing of phones and the indistinct chatter of employees as they passed by their orderly cubicles. The woman turned left and so did Rey. Both didn't stop until they reached a specific office.        

Rey looked at the plaque on the wall next to the doorframe. ARMITAGE HUX--COO it read in thick black lettering.

The blonde stepped into the room first, Rey followed suit.  

“Hux, I have Miss Kenobi here,” the woman said as she motioned for Rey to stand next to her.

The gentleman seated behind a sophisticated glass desk didn't look up from a sprawl of papers sitting in front of him. Instead, he gestured towards one of the chairs in front of his desk.

"Thank you Phasma" he added. The blonde simply nodded before she turned around to step out of the office. 

“Do be seated Miss Kenobi” His imperious voice commanded.

“Yes, thank you” she replied promptly.

The door clicked shut behind them, her nerves were beginning to run rampant. Rey obediently walked towards the chair the redheaded man was directing her to. Here we go, she thought as she seated herself trying to regain her composure and appear professional.

She silently filled her lungs with of oxygen as she waited in anticipation for the COO to speak again. 

“Well then, let’s begin with the conventional sorts of questions,” the man began skipping all formalities. Rey simply nodded in response to his proposal. The COO then bombarded her with a series of practical interview questions, most of which she answered swiftly and with ease. He listened to her replies attentively but did not utter a single response, unless he had asked her to elaborate on a subject or if he moved onto another question entirely.

It wasn’t until the COO began to ask Rey to elaborate on certain behavioral queries that the man appeared more interested in what she had to say. Although his expression remained unreadable, Rey noted that when she would discuss her reasoning behind her perspective the man seated in front of her occasionally added an “interesting,” as if he was approving her choice of words.

Rey hoped that would be a good sign.  

The interview felt extensive but the COO progressed smoothly, pressing her with a few more questions before allowing her to ask him a few questions in return. The man responded nonchalantly to each of Rey's questions. No more than thirty minutes passed before he began to thank Rey for her time signifying the end of the interview.

Rey thanked him as well, shook his hand. He informed her that his assistant would remain in touch, and that was it. Shortly after Rey was being escorted back to the reception area by the woman named Phasma. 

She walked Rey over to the elevators as she had previously done with the first candidate. She spoke this time, Phasma instructed Rey to take the lift back down to the lobby her expression darkened when she began to warn Rey that if she stepped off any other floor beside the first she would promptly be escorted out by security. Rey’s body tensed, regardless, Rey thanked Phasma for her directions. 

The blonde’s eyes appeared to soften but her expression remained ambiguous.

When the elevator arrived Phasma gave her a curt nod before she turned away to return to the reception area. The metal doors of the lift slid open, the light from the cabin bathed the marble floors. Rey hurridly stepped in, relieved that the interview was finally over. The door slowly began to shut after a few seconds of waiting. 

Her hand hovered over the 1 button ready to press down when she noticed a tall man stalking towards the elevator she stood in. Rey courteously pressed down on the button to hold the door open. The tall man walked in, quickly jabbing the ground level button before claiming the space in the middle of the cabin. She gently pressed down on the number 1 button until the number lit up. The door slowly shut after receiving both their inputs.

She glanced over at the man sharing the lift with her. He’s huge in stature and dressed in a well fitted black suit. Definitely more expensive looking than her own attire. 

Feeling a bit more bold Rey attempts to strike up a conversation “Lovely morning?” she begins. The man looks over at her acknowledging her presence. Rey attempts to give him the best smile she can but he just stares at her looking repulsed. He scoffs at Rey and turns his attention towards the numbers as they descend. Her smile drops instantly, only the sound of the humming elevator fills the atmosphere. 

Maybe he’s had a bad morning she thought as she peered over her shoulder. 

Minutes pass, they both just stand there, he continues ignoring her. She seizes the opportunity to curiously steal another glance at him. He looked familiar like she had seen him somewhere before, but she couldn't think where. 

He was also quite attractive. In an unconventional sort of way. Rey thought to herself. His dark hair was neatly styled to hide his ears that were threatening to peek through. His nose looked a bit too large for his face, and lips appeared a bit fuller. But he was still a handsome man nonetheless. 

He continues to stare at the numbers as they descend further down the colossal building. 

The numbers change without any interruption, both are close to reaching their respective floors but it feels like an eternity to get there. Rey was tired, she just wanted to crawl back into bed and rest a bit before her friends would drag her off to dinner later in the day. But there was something else, she couldn't quite explain what it was but it felt as if the air between them was growing thick with tension. She looked down at her shoes and clutched the folder tighter to her chest attempting to shield herself from the awkwardness. 

The fifth floor passes, then the fourth, the third, the second, and finally...

The lift made a ‘ping’ sound and the metal doors began to slide open. The sounds of indiscriminate chatter and ringing phones floating throughout the floor brought Rey solace. Her floor, at last, the layout just a few steps away.

She bolts out of the cabin and thoughtlessly chirps a “Have a great day!” to the man still inside the elevator.  

She doesn't hear a reply, only the sound of the door sliding shut.


End file.
